Delaware Senate Bill 270 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: Introduced on June 9 2016 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2016-06-09 - Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate
Pending: Senate Executive Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Draft #1) [HTML]

This bill will create a process to have an eleven-member Commission appointed every ten years to redistrict the Senate and House of Representatives of the Delaware General Assembly. “The Redistricting Commission for the State of Delaware” will consist of ten members appointed by the leadership of the House and Senate majority and minority parties. The ten voting members would then elect a voting Chairperson. The bill requires the Commission to “conduct an open and transparent redistricting process enabling full public consideration of and comment on the drawing of district lines….” No member of the Commission could be the holder of an elective office, a registered lobbyist within a year prior to appointment or selection, or an elected state official within two years of appointment or selection. The bill contains a timetable for completing the redistricting process. The process would culminate in the submission of a Commission-approved Final Redistricting Plan to the General Assembly for enactment into law. The bill allows for the further submission of a modified plan, if the General Assembly fails to approve the Final Plan by a majority of both Houses. If the General Assembly fails to enact redistricting legislation by September 30 of the year preceding the next election year, the bill calls for the creation of a two-person judicial panel consisting of the Chancellor of the State of Delaware and a Superior Court Judge appointed by the President Judge of the Superior Court. The judicial panel would be charged with issuing a final and binding redistricting plan for the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Chancellor and the Superior Court Judge assigned to the panel would have to be from separate political parties. Among other things, the Commission is required to: 1. Create a website for review by the public which would contain comprehensive information about the work of the Commission, including the names of the Commissioners, the rules of the Commission, notice of public meetings, district maps for existing districts, any plan approved by the Commission, Census data, and demographic data; 2. Hold four public meetings, one in each county and one in the City of Wilmington; 3. Prepare rules to govern the Commission’s proceedings; 4. Abide by the State Freedom of Information Act; 5. Approve and issue for public consideration and comment a Preliminary Redistricting Plan and Report, 6. Approve and submit to the General Assembly a Final Redistricting Plan and Report; and 7. Before concluding its business, prepare and submit a written report to the General Assembly with recommendations for improvements to the redistricting process. After the Commission’s work is completed, its records are to be maintained by the State Commissioner of Elections for a period of at least twenty years. The Bill also prohibits communications between Commissioners and legislators or their staff.

An Act To Amend Title 29 Of The Delaware Code Relating To The Redistricting Of The General Assembly.

Sen. Patricia Blevins [D]	Sen. Bryan Townsend [D]	Rep. Paul Baumbach [D]	Sen. Brian Bushweller [D]
Sen. Bruce Ennis [D]	Sen. Karen Peterson [D]	Rep. Stephanie Bolden [D]	Rep. Helene Keeley [D]
Rep. John Kowalko [D]	Rep. Edward Osienski [D]	Rep. Kimberly Williams [D]

Date	Chamber	Action
2016-06-09	Senate	Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate

Type	Source
Summary	http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis148.nsf/2bede841c6272c888025698400433a04/4e755d4b624e4c0185257fbc006bf3b5?OpenDocument
Text	http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis148.nsf/vwLegislation/SB+270/$file/legis.html?open